The moment you step out in the sweltering outdoors, you want to be back in an air-conditioned environment as soon as possible. Hence, A/Cs in your cars, home, and offices provide a much-needed escape. However, when you spend so much time in an air-conditioned room, a question undoubtedly would have crossed your mind: ” How does A/C affect my health? Is it making me sick?” We can’t answer that with a straight yes or no because there are many factors to consider here. However, one thing is for sure: A poorly maintained A/C unit can help wreck your health.
Lowering Your Tolerance To Heat:
When your body spends too much time in a particular environment, it starts to adapt to that environment; that’s basic biology. Hence, when cool rooms become the new norm, your body gets used to comfort. Therefore, when the temperature rises a notch or two, your body quickly feels the distress and reacts with measures like profuse sweating.
However, a low surrounding temperature of about 74-77 degrees is best suited for the human body. Moreover, many reported being more productive when offices were maintained at that temperature. In a nutshell, a sustained room temperature of about 74 to 77 degrees leads to optimum productivity. However, such prolonged exposure may reduce your body’s ability to deal with a higher thermometer reading.
Lowering Your Tolerance To Heat:
When your body spends too much time in a particular environment, it starts to adapt to that environment; that’s basic biology. Hence, when cool rooms become the new norm, your body gets used to comfort. Therefore, when the temperature rises a notch or two, your body quickly feels the distress and reacts with measures like profuse sweating.
However, a low surrounding temperature of about 74-77 degrees is best suited for the human body. Moreover, many reported being more productive when offices were maintained at that temperature. In a nutshell, a sustained room temperature of about 74 to 77 degrees leads to optimum productivity. However, such prolonged exposure may reduce your body’s ability to deal with a higher thermometer reading.
A/C and Sick Building Syndrome:
Have you ever felt a headache, dry or itchy skin and eyes, fatigue, or body pain when you spend much time in a particular building? However, when you move out of that setup, all the symptoms subside. If so, you are not alone, as many experiences this. The condition is known as sick building syndrome. Nonetheless, how can an A/C relate to the syndrome?
Well, we can trace similar problems to dirty air filters. When the air filter gets clogged up and not cleaned regularly, it allows irritants to pass. These irritants can lead to dry skin, eyes, and respiratory problems. Moreover, A/C relies on condensation to cool the outgoing air, and the process creates loads of moisture and water. Thus, if the water is not drained out appropriately, the humidity contributes to mold and bacterial growth. Consequently, mold and bacteria just spice things up a bit, making the syndrome even worse.
To top all that, turning the thermostat to a minimum will induce the body’s natural response to cold, shivering. Shivering in your office means a waste of your body’s energy. This energy is utilized to keep your body warm when instead, you can tune up the thermostat settings a bit. Thus, at the end of the day, you feel super tired.
The Bottom Line:
Now, to answer the question,” how does the A/C affect your health.” If the A/C is not well-maintained and when you have no control over the thermostat setting, the effects are devastating. However, if it’s the other way round, your A/C won’t pose any severe health problems. Therefore, keep it in top shape and always call Crump A/C and Heating at 281-533-9200 for A/C maintenance.